CHAPTER 1. WHAT IS CONCUSSION?
In terms of short-term recovery, the brain changes that
occur after a single concussion don’t appear to have
clear long-term cognitive effects. Return to contact
sport should be gradual: the ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ rule-
of-thumb is now adhered to by many sporting codes.
A very small percentage of people who sustain a concussion
go on to develop what is known as post-concussion syndrome.
Symptoms usually develop seven to 10 days after a concussion,
and can persist for weeks, months, and sometimes years.
Why the syndrome occurs remains unclear. This was the
experience of Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua.
Dellacqua, who suffered a heavy on-court fall in October
2015, wrote in a blog post that post-concussion syndrome
was “honestly some of the scariest stuff” she had experienced.
Her symptoms included headaches, inability to sleep, memory
problems and constant drowsiness. “I was so desperate
to just feel myself again but I struggled to do even daily
activities such as the grocery shopping,” she wrote.
RECOVERING FROM CONCUSSION
“I WAS SO DESPERATE TO
JUST FEEL MYSELF AGAIN
BUT I STRUGGLED TO DO
EVEN DAILY ACTIVITIES
SUCH AS THE GROCERY
SHOPPING.”
Left:
Concussion from
a freak accident
while competing in a
doubles tournament
in Beijing, in
October 2015,
forced Australian
tennis player Casey
Dellacqua out of the
game indefinitely
in 2016.
PHOTOGRAPHY MARK NOLAN/GETTY IMAGES